Gun with independent sighting line



W. HEILEMANN.

GUN WITH INDEPENDENT SIGHTING LINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26. 1915.

Patented July 11, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET' I.

W. HEILEMANN.

GUN WITH INDEPENDENT SIGHTING LINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26. 1915.

1 %22,@99, Patented July 11, 1922,

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- w. HEILEMANN. GUN WITH INDEPENDENT SIGHTING LINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, I915. l :?2 @99,

Patentedluly H, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 W. HEILEMANN.

GUN WITH INDEPENDENT SIGHTING LINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 26. 1915.

LQQQQQQ, Patented July 11, m2;

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WALTER HEILEIVIANN, 0}? ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMIANY, ASSIGNOB, TO FRIED.

KRUIP? AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT,-OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHB, GERMANYL GUN WITH INDEPENDENT SIGHTING LINE.

Application filed May 26, 1915.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 11, 1922.

Serial No. 80,639.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. It, 1313.)

To all 20 hom it may concern Be it known that 1, Human Hninnnnnix', residing at Essen-on-the-Ruhr, Germany, a citizen of the German Empire, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Guns with Independent Sighting Lines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to guns with 'an independent sighting line and an elevating gear, in which there are provided for the movement of the gun barrel, two driving members which are capable of rotating inclependently of each other-and are mounted on different sides of the gun barrel, and which are both arranged on a part of the gun which does not take part in the elevating movement of the gun barrel and are connected to the slide carrier by a sun and planet gearing, the centre wheels of which are each connected invariably and positively to one of the two driving members. The object of the invention is to provide for such guns a type of construction which enables the sighting device to be mounted on the slide carrier.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in sec tion, of those parts of the gun with which the present invention is concerned,

Fig. 2 the rear elevation corresponding to Fig. 1, looking from the right, but drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. .1, looking from the right, and drawn to the scale of Figure 2,

Fig. 4. is a section on the line 4E4t of Fig. 3, looking from the left, and I Fig. 5 is a portion of Fig. 2, partly in section on the line 55 of Fig. 1, drawn to the scale of Fig. 2.

The slide carrier B, which serves to guide the gun barrel A, is pivotally mounted on the gun carriage O by means of the horizontal trunnions b and Z2 The elevating gear consists of two toothed sectors 79 rigidly connected to the slide carrier B (see Figs. 1 and 3), two spur wheels (Z engaging with each of the said toothed sectors b and mounted ona hollow shaft D, and two driving trains for the said spur wheels d The first driving train consists broadly of a shaft Ecarrying a hand wheel 0 and a worm 6 a worm wheel f engaging with the worm 6 (see Fig. and rigidly connected to one end of a shaft F, a spur wheel f which is rigidly connected to the other end of the shaft F and engages with two pinion wheels d which latter are mounted loose and rotate upon two diametrically opposite crank pins (Z of the hollow shaft D.

The second driving train is constructed in a manner similar to the first drive and consists of a hand wheel a shaft G, a worm a wheel H provided with external worm teeth 71, and a series of internal teeth h the pinion wheels (Z engaging with the internal teeth h of the'wheel H, and the hollow shaft D carrying the two pinion wheels d The two worm gears c f and 71/ are self lockmg.

The two shafts D and F and also the wheel H with the series of teeth 7L and /L are rotatably mounted on the gun carriage C in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3.

Upon turning the hand wheel 0 while the hand wheel remains at rest, the shaft E, the worm 0 the 'worm wheel 7, the transverse shaft F, together with its spur wheel 7, will also be revolved. As the gear wheel H' is now locked by the worm g and consequently remains stationary, the spur wheel f meshing with the pinions (Z will compel the latter to travel along the internal teeth 7L2 of the stationary gear wheel H, thus pushing the crank pins. around and re volving the shaft D with the pinions (Z and raising or lowering the toothed sectors and the gun A. i

If, on the other hand, the hand wheel 6 remains at rest while the hand wheel 9 is being turned, then shaft G, worm g and worm wheel H will revolve. The worm 6 now looking the worm f and keeping the the shaft D with the pinions al which act- I ingon the toothed sectors 6 will elevate or depress the gun A.

The sighting device, which is known per se, consists broadly of a sighting telescope i a curved attachment bar J and the at- I tachment box K (see Fig. 1) which is pivotally mounted on an arm 6 rigidly connected to the slide carrier B. r V

The side of the attachment bar J next to the trunnion b is provided with a series of teeth 2' into which gears a spiral pinion m mounted on one'end of a flexible shaft M. This flexible shaft M is rotatably mounted on the one hand on the arm 6 and on the other hand on an arm 6 formed'in one piece therewith.

V The driving mechanism of the shaft M and therefore also of the spiral pinion m consists of a bevel wheel gearing h 11 one bevel wheel [L3 of which. is mounted on the side of the wheel H remote from the gun earriage, and a train of shafting consisting of the shafts P, P Q and R. The shaft P of this train of shafting which carries the bevel wheel 10 is mounted on a casing which surrounds the wheel H and is mounted on the gun carriage, while the shaft Q is rotatably mounted on ancarm Z) (see Figs. 2 and 5) rigidly connected to the trunnion 72 'The shaft R, which is connected to the shaft Q by a bevel wheel gearing 9 W is rotatably mounted on the one hand on the arm 6 (which in relation to the trunnion 7)? assumes the same angular position as the arm does in relation to the trunnion 7H) and on the other hand the shaft B is rotatably mounted on the arm 6". Finally the shaft R is positively connected by a bevel wheel gearing 12 m to the flexible shaft d and therefore to the spiral pinion m Since the shaft Q, is mounted on the rocking arm 73 and the shaft P on the stationary gun carriage C, there is therefore interposed between the shafts Q and P in the manner well known per se, a pivotal and at the same time a longitudinally movable coupling which consists of the universal joint 39 mounted between the shafts Q and P and two shaft portions 79 and 72 which are connected to each other and incapable of 7 relative rotation but can be moved telescopically in the direction of their longitudinal axes.

Upon the arm I) is also mounted a drum S which is provided with a scale s for the adjustment of the gun barrel A to the elevatiOn-frorresponding to the distance away of the target; the Corresponding adjusting 'mark I) 1s r gidly connected to the arm 7).

The drum S has a series of internal teeth s (see Fig. 5) into which gears a pinion 2 mounted on the adjacent end of the The ratio of transmission of the driving mechanism of the sighting device is so pro portioned in the well known way that the angle, through which the attachment bar .I is moved relatively to the gun barrel A bv urning the h nd wh el i is of .exactli' the same size as the angle through which.

the gun barrel is rotated when the hand wheel 6 remains at rest. Furthermore the apparatus is so constructed that the attachment-bar and the gun barrel rotate in o )posite directions. In consequence hereof t e sighting line remains parallel to itself when the hand wheel only is turned.

In order to train the sighting line upon the target, the hand wheel a is turned. It must be first assumed that when this is done the hand wheel 5/ remains at rest. Any rotation of the spiral. pinion m and consequent shifting of the sighting line relatively to the gun barrel cannot therefore take place. The sighting line therefore takes part in the rotation which is imparted to the gun barrel by the hand wheel 0 without the angle, which it forms with the longitudinal axis of the gun barrel, varying, and is thus laid or trained upon the target.

The hand wheel is next rotated in order to adjust the gun barrel to the elevation corresponding to the distance away of the target until the mark Zflpoints to the proper distance graduation s on the drum S.

The rotation of the hand wheel 9 is transmitted through the medium of the searing G, k2, 2 P, 7 W, R, 1, m M, m 2' to the attachment bar J and so moves this latter relatively to the gun barrel A, that the sighting line has imparted to it that angular position with relation to the longitudinal axis of the gun barrel which corresponds to the distance away of the target.

Since the gun barrel A, when the hand wheel 6 remains at rest during the above described operations, rotates in the opposite direction to that in which the attachment bar rotates and through the same angle, the sighting line remains parallel to itself and consequently remains laid or trained upon the target.

It is obvious of course that the operation of laying the gun is not influenced if both the hand wheels 0 and g be rotated simultaneously. I

. The advantage of the above described elevating gear consists in the fact that with it that type of construction of the sighting device which has been recognized as particularly useful in warfare can be employed in which the support forthe sighting de vice is rigidly connected to the slide carrier.

I claim: I

1. In a gun having a carriage and a gun barrel adapted to be elevated relatively to the carriage, a sighting device comprising a base member adapted to be elevated in uni son with the gun barrel, a sighting means carrier adjustable relatively to said base member for range and a gearing for adjusting the sighting means carrier relatively to said base member,- a planetary gearing mounted on the carriage and comprising two coaxial central wheels rotatable independently of each other, a bridge member rotatable about the same axis said central wheels and planetary wheels rotatably mounted on the bridge member in a distance away from said axis and engaging said central wheels, means for elevating the gun barrel positively connected to said bridge member, two driving members rotatably mounted on the gun carriage on opposite sides of the gun barrel each being positively connected to one of said central wheels and means positively connecting one of said driving members to said sighting means adjusting gearing for rotating the sighting means carrier relatively to the gun barrel about the same angle but in opposite direction as the gun barrel is rotated when said last-named driving member is actuated and the other driving member is held stationary, the sighting means carrier and the driving member positively connected thereto being arranged on opposite sides of the gun barrel.

2. In a gun having a carriage and a gun barrel adapted to be elevated relatively to the carriage, a sighting device comprising a base member adapted to be elevated in unison with the gun barrel, a sighting means carrier adjustable relatively to said base member for range and a gearing for adjust ing the sighting means carrier relatively to said base member, a planetary gearing mounted on the carriage and comprising a rotatable shaft extending transversely from one side of the carriage to the other, two central wheels coaxial with said shaft, one of said central wheels being rigidly con nected to said shaft and the other arranged to rotate relatively thereto independently of said first-named central wheel, a bridge member enclosing said shaft and arranged to rotate relatively thereto and planetary wheels rotatably mounted on said bridge member in a distance away from the axis of rotation thereof and engaging said central wheels, means for elevating the gun barrel positively connected to said bridge member, two driving members rotatably mounted on the gun carriage on opposite sides of the gun barrel each being positively connected to one of said central wheels and means positively connecting one of said driving members to said sighting means adjusting gearing for rotating the sighting means carrier relatively to the gun barrel about the same angle but in opposite direction as the gun barrel is rotated when said last-named driving member is actuated and the other driving member is held stationary, the sighting means carrier and the driving member positively connected thereto being arranged on opposite sides of the gun barrel.

3. In a gun having a carriage and a gun barrel adapted to be elevated relatively to the carriage, a sighting device comprising a base member adapted to be elevated in unison with the gunl arrel, a sighting means carrier adjustable relatively to 'saidbase member for range and a gearing for adjusting the sighting means carrier relatively to said base member, a V planetary gearing mounted on the carriage and comprising a rotatable shaft extending transversely from one side of the carriageto the other, an externally toothed spur wheel rigidly connected to said shaft, an internally toothed spur wheel coaxial with said externally toothed one, said internally toothed spur wheel being arranged to rotate relatively to said shaft independently of said externally toothed spur wheel, a bridge member enclosing said shaft and arranged to rotate relatively thereto and planetary wheels rotatably mounted on said bridge member in a distance away from the axis of rotation thereof and engaging said externally and internally toothed spur Wheels, means for elevating the gun barrel positively connected to said bridge member, two driving members rotatably mounted on the gun carriage on opposite sides of the gun barrel each being positively connected to one of said externally and internally toothed spur wheels and means positively connecting one of said driving members to said sighting means adjusting gearing for rotating the sighting means carrier relatively to the gun barrel about the same angle but in opposite direction as the gun barrel is rotated when said last-named driving member is actuated and the other driving member is held stationary, the sighting means carrier and the driving member positively connected thereto being arranged on opposite sides of the gun barrel.

4. In a gun having a carriage and a gun barrel adapted to be elevated relatively to the carriage, a sighting device comprising a base member adapted to be elevated in unison with the gun barrel, a sighting means carrier adjustable relatively to said base member for range and a gearing for adjusting the sighting means carrier relatively to said base member, a planetary gearing mounted on the carriage and comprising two coaxial central wheels rotatable independently of each other, a bridge member rotatable about the same axis as said central wheels and planetary wheels rotatably mounted on the bridge member in a distance away'from said axis and engaging said central wheels, means for elevating the gun barrel positively connected to said bridge member, two driving members rotatably mounted on the gun carriage on opposite sides of the gun barrel each being positively connected to one of said central wheels and a train of shafting inserted between said sighting means adjusting gearing tionary, the sighting means carrier and the driving member positively connected thereto being arranged on opposite sides of the gun barrel.

' Theforegoing specification signed at Barmen, Germany, this 20th day of April, 1915.

WALTER HEILEMANN. L 3.

In presence of HELEN ALBERT N UFER. 

